Vital Stats

Engine:

3.7L V6

Power:

350 HP / 276 LB-FT

Transmission:

6-Speed Manual

Drivetrain:

Rear-Wheel Drive

Seating:

2

MPG:

19 City / 26 HWY

Base Price:

$44,000 (est.)

If you blinked, you missed the opportunity to pick up the last iteration of the 370Z Nismo, because after just a touch over a year of availability, Nissan is replacing it with this updated 2015 model – the third 370-based iteration from the brand's in-house tuner. Consider this version to be the 370Z's swan song. An all-new version is expected soon with a downsized turbo mill (something in the vein of a 240Z would not be impossible). That reality aside, the latest 370Z Nismo is a compelling package. It looks like a million bucks, takes a corner with verve, and gets belated tech goodies. Here are our impressions from a drive we took last week near Nissan's US headquarters in Tennessee.

Driving Notes

The Recaro seats are wonderful (shocker!). In fact, the interior in general has a much more strapped-down feel about it. A run-of–the-mill 370Z feels pretty great, although it's not a place for the big-boned. As with past Nismos, upgrades include contrasting colors on the faux-suede seat inserts, the gauge hood, the ten and two positions on the steering wheel, and a red centering stripe on the wheel. The upgraded materials are all nicely chosen and the cabin is a very sexy place to live – weirdly practical, too, considering the huge cargo area. Checking the "Tech" model option box brings a 7.0-inch nav screen in place of the upward swinging door over a storage cubby, a much-needed backup camera, an impressively good Bose stereo, and de riguer Bluetooth connectivity with audio streaming. Everything seems to work as advertised.

This is probably the best-realized version of the 370Z's styling. The car looks finished in a way that can only come with – get this – six years of refinement (believe it or not the 370Z debuted in 2008). The nose and tail have been given a more purposeful look that's also less street-racer. A side benefit is improved aero performance with more downforce and a whopping three inches of reduced overall length. Muy bueno. The side skirts claim to improve aero, but we think they just look cool. Also, we dig that Porsche 911 RS-style ducktail spoiler and restyled 19-inch Rays Engineering alloys.

The 3.7-liter V6 engine remains one of the gems of the auto industry: quick to rev, gutsy torque curve, and a bit more power than the standard car, although the same as the last model – still up by 18 horsepower and 6 pound-feet of torque versus the standard Z, to 350 hp and 276 lb-ft. The exhaust note is a delight, offering just the right amount of raspy crackle without even a hint of fart cannon.

Straight-line acceleration can get into illegal territory really quickly, but it's the other elements of performance that shine. Stomp the brakes too often and you may walk away with a chest bruise, for instance. The Nismo benefits from chassis bracing and increased spring rates that provide a machine that's more tool than car – it's only as good as the driver wielding it, so in the hands of a master, it turns out beautiful work.

Most of our complaints have nothing to do with the Nismo-ness of the car and everything with the Z itself: the weird gauges for fuel level and engine temp, aging interior plastics, terrible – terrible – rear visibility, and less than stellar steering response. This platform is really showing its age.

Although we will always prefer manuals, we're beginning to turn the corner on the paddle-shifters versus the row-your-own manual – the best dual-clutch boxes are just quicker. However, in the 370Z Nismo the traditional hydraulic autobox still can't respond quite urgently enough. With anything but full throttle, there's too much of a delay.

The manual box is simply a delight to work. Pleasingly notchy shifter, well-placed gears and rev-matching for the normals, but optimal heel-toe pedal placement for experienced drivers. Even better news for true believers who buy the manual is a shorter final drive ratio, bumped from 3.69:1 to 3.92:1. Automatic cars get stuck with a 3:36. Of course, it's all in the trans gearing choices, but we'd by lying if the manual didn't feel a lot more responsive in the all-important second and third gear ratios.

The 370Z has always had one crucial fault: a starting price about five thousand dollars too rich. Nissan undoubtedly has very good reasons for the model's price point, but it always feels like there's just not quite enough bang for the buck. Pricing for the refreshed Nismo version hasn't dropped yet, but the old car started at around $43,830 and we wouldn't expect it to budge much. Does it look cooler, go a bit quicker in a straight line and around corners, and have a better interior? Yes. Is it worth almost $8,000 over the base car's starting price? Probably not. But that doesn't make it any less fun.

Reported comments and users are reviewed by Autoblog staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week to determine whether they violate Community Guideline. Accounts are penalized for Community Guidelines violations and serious or repeated violations can lead to account termination.

I own a 2009 370Z, been having it since birth. 50k miles later not one mechanical issue. Drives like is new! This NISMO package looks awesome! It's the best the car has ever looked inside and out. With all of the above being said, and even understanding Nissan pricing it so high to insure it becomes some sort of limited run classic. I personally would absolutely not pay that much for a Z car. This car should start at 38k period. If the gauges were more advanced (I'm talking full on Audi/VW or S class LCD) and the door panels quality better I don't know maybe. But as is, it's a no from this owner.

I have yet to see someone in any Z look like they're having fun in one. Their owners seem to drive them like any ol' car. And spare me the comeback about seeing it on a track. You should have to exclusively be on a track to look like you're having a bit of fun in your "sports" car. It should be an everyday occurrence in some form. I hope Nissan makes the next gen smaller or skips right over it and does another 240 that will compete with FRS/BRZ.

*Nissan needs to bring back the 240sx to compete with the FRS/BRZ and leave the Z to battle cars that are better suited toward it's segment. Unfortunately, the Z is in a limbo type segment right now. Mazda killed off the rx8, Honda killed S2000 and Toyota killed the supra. That pretty much leaves the muscle cars to compete with but I don't feel like those are direct competitors either.

lol pull up next to me and you'll see a s**t eating grin on my face while driving my 370. In fact, my neighbor even commented to me once saying he saw me driving when I first got my Z (in April) and I had the biggest smile on my face. As far as your FRS/BRZ comment, that kind of makes me cringe. I really hope Nissan does not go that route and if they do, they better give the car some balls because FRS/BRZ are severely lacking. I agree that the Z need a diet but it doesn't need to compete with those cars. It's currently in a another class and to compete directly with them would be a downgrade. For some strange reason, I cross shopped the BRZ when looking for a Z just to see what the fuss was about and I was shocked (not in a good way). The BRZ was pushing $30k brand new!!!! While yes, its a "fun" car but when a civic SI is faster, something is wrong. I ended up getting a preowned 370z with 19k miles for $26k (cheaper than both the BRZ and FRS). There was no comparing the performance either.

"... we're beginning to turn the corner on the paddle-shifters versus the row-your-own manual – the best dual-clutch boxes are just quicker." Who gives a crap, unless you're actually racing the thing, it's all about enjoyment & not lap times.

I'm really digging the new look. Front, rear and side skirts are very aggressive - matches the performance of this car more so than the outgoing Nismo body. The interior is great - would love to have those seats transplanted into my 370. If only they would've addressed two issues: brake cooling (should come stock with hi-temp fluid and more ducting) and an oil cooler... without these two things you can't drive off the lot and take it directly to the track (without issues) - something you should be able to do with ~$45K price tag.

The 370Z has always been an interesting bit of a competitor. Doesn't really have any direct competition. Still, I can't complain too much since I love RWD coupes and there's always a shortage of them on the market. But a few things: -for a 2 seat hatchback that is NOT a large trunk. 6.9 cubic feet? That's less than half of the 15 cubic feet the Corvette's trunk has. An S2000's trunk was 5.5 cubic feet, and it was smaller, lighter and had a convertible top taking up trunk space. What's this car's excuse? -Has much been done to the engine to refine it? You call it a gem and one of the best engines on the market and yet it's always been a coarse unrefined engine compared to other sports cars. -brakes have always been a problem with the 370Z, specifically severe brake fade at track events. Has this been fixed for 2015? This car has always been held back by it's FM chassis and the weight compromise that brings with it. However if this car wouldn't exist otherwise so be it.

Patrick, I agree with most of your points, but to play devil's advocate: The 370z has tons more room in the trunk than the 350Z After the first few model years, Nismo 370z's did start coming with upgraded brake pads to help resist fade. However, the best thing to do is to just swap fluid. I own a base + sport package 370z (same brakes as the nismo) and have never experienced anything but stellar brake performance at VIR and CMP which are both very brake heavy tracks.

I'll agree with some of your points but I will say, I'm biased, I own a 370 so take my comments with a grain of salt. Having sat in both a corvette and s2000, I will note the cabin feels ALOT smaller than the 370. Maybe this is the result of why you feel the trunk is so small. Also, the way the car is designed to almost sit between the fenders, you actually have bulges in the trunk to accommodate the wheel wells. This too takes up a bit so space. As for the engine, I don't find that it unrefined at all! To me, it feels almost mechanical and machine like. Having come from an RX8 (smooth as butter), I was expecting these same attributes you noted and was surprised to find that while it may seem coarse, I kind of like it. The car never feels like you're straining it in any way but you can tell there are some moving parts going on under the hood (if that makes any sense). I can't really comment on the brakes because I've never tracked my car so I haven't experienced the brake fade. However, during day-to-day and spirited driving, they are phenomenal. I will say, it needs a diet....badly!!!! You can definitely feel the weight of the car and driving around town can be exhausting at first. Oddly though, it starts to feel lighter on it's feet when driving spiritedly.

Thanks Jon for the first hand input. And to think some here would want to sacrifice the attributes of this truly sport car for the 600 pound weight gain of the Camaro is absurd. I love the Z. I have an S2000 but a neighbor has a Nismo. His has the rev limiter set at 8000 RPM. It is a bit course above 7,000 but nothing anyone would notice had media rags not made a stink about it for the sake of something to nit-pick. His car is damn fast for a NA V6 with just a few bolt-on parts and a Uprev Tune. His will hold it own with GS C6's all day.

There was supposedly an NVH update done in 2010, but it apparently didn't do much. I honestly think its more to do with the fact that V6s are inherently unbalanced engines to begin with. The 60* bank angle provides some civility, but 7k RPM seems to be where that wears off, and if you look across the brands, most 60* V6s are kept under that speed for that reason (even Honda's J-series is governed to 6800 RPM). Hell, the GT-Rs V6 is based on this engine family, and its limited to 7k RPM.

I don't know why Nissan just didn't put the 3:92 gear in the older cars. It obviously has little effect on mileage; in fact, I'm not all too sure the Nismo is required to undergo its own separate EPA testing. Probably not. For one, it's sold in such low quantity.

I own a 2006 Nissan 350Z Grand Touring Roadster ... I purchased it new and only drive it occasionally on weekends and only has 21k miles and is near perfect condition except tiny paint works start peeling off from the center console, stereo face plate, arm rest and door panel. Currently working on to replace all those parts. I enjoy the Z very much and am thinking of getting the 2015 Nissan 370Z NISMO but I have contacted the dealer about the release date and color and the price. The dealer does not have the info. I do not know what's a reasonable price for the NISMO? Currently I am driving a 2014 BMW 435i which is an amazing piece of work but I wish I could have waited a little longer to buy the 2015 BMW M4 instead. Thinking of trading up later this year. I cannot wait to drive the NISMO ... hoping it does come in black .... so classy and racy ....

Nismo Z is nice for sure, but there's no way I'd get that old thing over a loaded '15 Mustang GT for the same money. A loaded STI costs less too. Or if I gotta be fancy, an M235i starts at only a few grand more.

Right, anybody who buys this car is going to be someone looking exclusively for a two seat "sports" car. That is what makes it relevant. Outside of this car, one has zero options unless they want to jump up in price $10-$20 grand, to a C7 Vette.

It's surprising to see how irrelevant this car has become. We never hear anything about it, nor can I recall a recent comparison where it was a participant. There are simply better value propositions on the market to choose from, unless you've got Z fever.

John Murphy, The Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger may not be direct competitors to the 370Z, but I'd say that their target demographics are very similar, primarily males from their 20-middle age looking for something sporty, affordable, and fun to drive. Over the last 10-15 years, it seems that this segment has lost a lot of ground to the sport compact and pony car segments. Now, I'm not saying all is hopeless for the Z, but I have noticed that many are on the fence about its interior and exterior styling and design and put off by its price. Hopefully that changes with next generation, and Nissan knocks one out of the park with the new Z. When I look at all of the exciting performance cars that have come out since the 350Z debuted in 2003, I don't feel enough has been done with this model to really make it stand out.

@Sean - What other offerings are out there these days in the same category? The other competitors have killed off their flagship sports cars. Mazda (RX8), Honda (S2000) and Toyota (Supra) are all dead. There really aren't many cars left in the segment, hence the reason you don't see too many comparisons. Now I will say, yes there is the mustang, camaro and challenger but those are muscle cars and aren't direct competitors. Same goes for the brz/frs. I think that speaks a lot for the old Z car that it's still around and still has a future.

Jon Murphy: Actually, the Z began life as a reasonably priced sports car. The Toyobaru is a direct product of that line of thinking. As for the pony cars, the Mustang GT with the GT Performance package is shaping up to be a pretty good sports car (weight drama aside), and although I hate to admit it, the Camaro is an accomplished handler, even though most people consider it a fat pig.

I crossed shopped the brz before getting my 370. Brand new, the Brz was pushing $30k! I just couldn't justify spending that cash on a car with 200hp. I ended up with a pre owned 2013 370z with 19kmiles for $26k. I'm sorry but there is no comparison between the two. Having driven both cars, I started to wonder why I was even looking into the brz. I wanted to love the Subaru but the "old" z car was still the better car at a better value.